


Ink On Skin

by rolyatanaira



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2019-08-24 04:37:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16633073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rolyatanaira/pseuds/rolyatanaira
Summary: A florist and a tattoo parlour next to each other is the definition of irony. The two shop owners have never met, despite both living above their respective shops. When Luna, a plant obsessed curious girl, and her neighbour finally meet, neither is what the other expects them to be. They soon fall in love but fear and society drive them apart. Can they work through each others issues to finally feel free in themselves?





	1. Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really rough version of the first chapter, mostly just to see if people are interested and to get some advice. So please feel free to comment with constructive criticism or just hit that kudos button if you'd like! Thank you, enjoy! <3

Luna groaned; the neighbour was playing their screeching music again. The walls of her apartment were paper thin so she could hear almost everything that went on in the apartment next to her, even the snoring at night. Although, she was certain that whoever her neighbour was could hear every noise she made too. She tried her best to be quiet and her dog, Bee, was very gentle but.. the neighbour seemed to have given the concept of quietness no thought at all as they played their music at full volume most nights. Luna tried to ignore it, plugging in her headphones and putting her playlist on shuffle as she started to make dinner.

Dinner for Luna, on most occasions, was just some toast and soup or a microwave meal. Tonight it was homemade mac and cheese. Bee, a gorgeous golden retriever with eyes as soft as silk, lingered around Luna's feet as she cooked, sniffing the air and wagging her tail in excitement whenever a small piece of food fell to the floor. Whenever she could, Luna would always choose to cook something. She was well known in her family for being the only decent cook.

Platinum hair tied back in a ponytail that swished as she danced around the kitchen (although this was a struggle as the kitchen itself was the size of a small fridge), Luna started dishing her food up onto a plate before carrying it over to her table. It was a little wooden table, clumsily painted white, made out of some old palette wood. Plants sprawled themselves across one side from the windowsill, flower vines clinging onto the edges as if desperate to one day make it onto Luna's plate. 

The plants in her house had a mind of their own. They took up more space than any of her other stuff, crawling into corners and squeezing into any blank spaces on her desk or shelves. Global warming was considerably lessened by simply the number of plants that she managed to fit into her tiny apartment. Luna cared for them like they were her children: waking up at the crack of dawn to watch the sun rise as she watered them all, giving the more leafy varieties trims every few weeks.. It was like her second job. Her first job wasn't much different, though.

Luna worked as a florist in the shop below her flat, selling bouquets and potted plants and little bonsai trees to the locals and helping to design the perfect arrangement of flowers for weddings and parties. It was a glorious job to have, in her eyes, to make people so happy and to bring the wonderful nature of plants to people's lives. She opened the shop when she was only 19, naming it " _Flo's_ " after her grandmother, who had always been known for her adoration of the natural world. The window display was changed weekly but the same tree always stayed in its spot in the shopfront: the money tree her grandmother gave her for her 10th birthday, 2 weeks before she passed away. It was like keeping a piece of her spirit around and proved to be a comfort for Luna through any hard times that came upon her.

Her shop was the first of many along the street, although she only had one neighbour. She had never seen them, but had never felt the urge to pop in and say hello or invite them over for a cup of tea. The shop next to _Flo's_ was a tattoo parlour that went by the name of " _Ink Me Up_ ", fully equipped with a neon flashing skull hanging in the window and a glossy black door. Compared to Luna's carousel pastel themed flower shop, the violent and dark ambience around the tattoo parlour wasn't very inviting. Although, she had to admit that she was curious to see what this person looked like, Obviously she had created a mental image of them (entirely based on stereotypes, but what else did she have to go by?) and she imagined them to be a man with black hair and tired eyes, clad in all black. Something told her that they wouldn't be like that at all, however.

She realised suddenly that she had zoned out, distracted by the thought of the mystery neighbour, and hadn't noticed the absence of screaming music coming from next door. Her plate was empty and Bee was nowhere to be found, so Luna could only assume that her food had been swiftly stolen from her while she was distracted. Carrying her plate back into the kitchen and placing it in the sink, she yawned. It was just past 10 and she had to be up early the next day to open the shop so she decided to head to bed. Luna's bare feet padded on the beech wooden floor, the sound of Bee's claws tapping on it trailing behind her.

The walls of her room were painted a gentle sky blue, with some wispy clouds of white painted on by her father the last time he had visited. Little shelves stuck out here and there, plant pots overflowing with leaves hanging from the ceiling and filling the space on her windowsill. A glass door that lead out to the a small balcony stood open, allowing a cool night's breeze to tug at Luna's dress as she entered the room. She soon took off her dress (a floaty, lilac one with some fake daisies around the waist) and replaced it with an oversized t-shirt and some comfy underwear. She had never really owned proper pajamas as she didn't feel the need to buy them if no one would see them.

As she snuggled down under the covers, after having locked the door of course, she felt a pool of warmth on her feet. Bee had curled himself up into a ball, breathing in and out steadily through his little nose. Luna flicked off the lamp next to her bed, rolled onto her side and felt herself drifting into a dreamland filled with cotton candy clouds and sandy beaches far away.

 

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Rolling over onto her back, Luna fought to keep her eyes shut. It didn't take much longer for her to give up and open her eyes, squinting into the darkness of her room. The clock on her wall said it was 3:17am. She groaned to herself, sitting upright and pulling the hairband out of her hair. All hope of getting back to sleep had escaped from her now so she decided to venture onto her balcony for a while. She stood up and fumbled her way over to the door.  
The metal handle was cold against her pale skin but the door swung open almost without a touch. The fresh breeze rustled Luna's hair, goosebumps running across her arms as she leant against the icy fencing that stopped her from falling. The stars were beautiful. She had spent many sleepless nights out on her balcony, alone, thinking to herself and losing track of time as she traced the patterns in the natural fairy lights above her. It gave her space to breathe.  
She often found herself hyperaware of her surroundings, each individual leaf on the trees and the tiny creatures that lived within it's branches seeming to come out of hiding for her to see, but tonight Luna lost focus of the world. Her mind was drifting curiously to the thought of her neighbour again. She had nothing else to guess what they would be like so it was all pointless speculation but.. What if they were a girl? Would they have freckles and a cute smile and wear lots of hoodies? Or would they be covered from head to toe in ink, making themselves vulnerable to the world by painting their story on their skin? A faint blush rose to Luna's cheeks as she wondered to herself, a glazed look coming over her eyes.  
"The stars are beautiful, aren't they? You fit right in out here." The sudden disturbance of the voice made Luna's head snap to her right, a gasp struggling its way out of her throat as it closed up and she fell backwards a little.  
A girl stood in the balcony next to hers, separated only by a small space between them. Her blue eyes reflected the night sky, twinkling with laughter as two peachy lips curled up and spread to reveal pearly teeth. She was.. breathtaking. Luna suddenly remembered her scruffy appearance and rushed to pull her shirt down in an attempt to hide her underwear from the beautiful stranger. "U-um.. I.."  
"God, you're adorable when you blush." The girl ran a hand through her matted, ginger hair, smirking at Luna as more blood flew to her cheeks. "I'm Ginny, I work in the shop downstairs."  
All Luna could do was nod and look down at her feet in embarrassment. This was her neighbor - the one that played the screaming music and owned the tattoo parlour and snored in her sleep? She realised that Ginny had turned away from her, her head craning up to look at the velvet sky. "I'm, uh.. Luna. I own _Flo's_." She responded. Could Ginny tell that she had been thinking about her?  
They stood in silence for a while, taking comfort in the sound of each other's gentle breathing. Luna kept stealing glances in Ginny's direction, running her eyes over her smooth, porcelain skin and studying the permanent ink on her arms. Her focus drifted up to Ginny's chest, her breath hitching in her throat as she realised that she was only wearing a tight crop top with nothing underneath. The cold air meant that she could see.. far more than she should be able to. Luna looked up slightly and met Ginny's eyes, realising she had been watching her the whole time. A blush danced across her cheeks again as she became incredibly flustered.  
"Like what you see?" Ginny joked, wiggling about a little to tease her. Luna curled up into herself.  
"I.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I was just.." She trailed off, realising she had no excuse and hiding her face behind curtains of hair.  
Ginny shook her head, laughing softly. It felt like they were the only two people in the whole world. "It's okay, I'm just teasing.." She paused for a moment, locking eyes with Luna and winking flirtatiously. "Maybe one day you can see more."  
Luna once again turned bright red, covering her face with her hands and laughing slightly. "Not today, please!"  
Somewhere far away, a car revved in the street. It must have been nearly morning. Luna heard Ginny sigh, a cloud of warm air escaping from her mouth like cigarette smoke, and turned to face her. "It was nice to finally meet you."  
She nodded, smiling. "You too, flower girl."  
And with that, Ginny disappeared inside. Luna stood waiting for a while, in case she came back to declare her sudden undying love for her, but the click of the lock turning in her door was clarification enough that it was time she go back to bed.


	2. Rain

  The next day, Luna's mind was filled with crystal clear images of eyes that glowed like pools of honey and a laugh as refreshing as the night air. Unfortunately, this meant she didn't have room for many other thoughts and found herself distractedly pouring milk onto the side instead of into her glass, as well as giving many customers one too many flowers or cutting stems too short at work. Every time the little bell above the door tinkled, her head shot up in anticipation, hoping to see a flash of ginger hair and a wide smile. She was out of luck, however. The only visitors she had were the old mailman and a young woman looking for succulents. Deciding to visit Ginny later with a small offering of some cacti for her shop, Luna tried to focus on her work.

The day passed agonisingly slowly but, finally, the grandfather clock in the corner of the room chimed five times. She closed up the shop, turning a wooden sign engraved with the word "open" on one side to show the word "closed" on the other to stop people coming in. Still in a white, dirty apron with her hair held up in a bun by some pens, Luna picked up the cacti that she picked out for Ginny (two, one that was round and one that was tall with some tiny flowers) and headed next door.

" _Ink Me Up_ " didn't close until 8, so Luna pushed open the black door and was greeted by the low buzzing of ink being injected into skin. She looked around, eventually spotting Ginny behind the desk. Walking up with a smile, she placed the tiny cacti on the top of the desk. "Hi!"

Ginny looked up, startled for a moment to see Luna. Then her face took on an almost programmed straight face as she spoke, flawed only because of a delicate blush painted across her cheeks. "Hello, welcome to Ink Me Up! Do you have an appointment?"

Confusion was evident on Luna's face. "What? No, I.. It's me, Luna, your neighbour? I just wanted to give you these plants, I thought you might like them."

"Oh," Ginny glanced around quickly before responding. "Uh... Thanks. Is that all?"

Nodding as Ginny moved the cacti to the side of her desk, Luna frowned slightly. "Why are you acting so different all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean? I'm not acting different." Ginny responded with lightning speed, almost as though she was anxious to be caught out on something. The person standing in line behind Luna cleared their throat. Luna backed up and let them step in front, watching as Ginny started the conversation with the same "Hello, welcome to Ink Me Up!" and turned away from her completely. Maybe she had been imagining the flirtatious nature of their conversation last night. In any case, she clearly wasn't wanted around there so she made the decision to head back home. Bee would be hungry soon, anyway. But no matter how much she tried to ignore it, she couldn't shake the aching feeling in her heart.

Luna slid the key to her apartment into its lock, turning it until it clicked and pushing the chilled door handle down. The door swung open easily, creaking a little, and she stepped inside. She wiped her shoes on the mat at her feet as she closed the door, dropping the keys into a bowl on a little shelf.

The hallway she stood in was small, the walls decently short and the stairs that lead to her flat condensed into the cramped space. You would never think that the stairs lead to such a picturesque living space by looking at the spots of mould on the walls.

Bee's short claws tapped on the ground as she sprinted to greet her owner, whining and jumping up in excitement. Luna sighed and let herself smile a little, patting the energetic ball of fur on the head before starting to walk upstairs.

It was summer, so it wouldn't get dark for a few hours. Luna decided she would take Bee out for a long walk to clear her mind and relax - she would take her to the woods around the corner, where her grandmother used to always have picnics with her. She reached the top of the stairs and unhooked a rope lead from a coat hook on the wall. Bee was well-behaved so didn't need a muzzle or harness. Luna clipped the lead onto Bee's red collar as she undid her apron and chucked it on top of the chest of drawers next to her, then guided Bee down the stairs again.

She opened the door, making sure to lock it once she had walked out, and sighed quietly. The sun was still high in the sky but some dark clouds were creeping in front of it slowly; Luna would have to make the walk quick.

As she trudged along the pavement, she thought back over what had happened earlier. Why was Ginny suddenly treating her like a stranger? She certainly hadn't dreamed the whole moment they shared the night before - there was no way she could have known exactly what Ginny would have looked and sounded like unless she'd met her. It stung to think about her coldness towards her. Luna had thought for sure that Ginny had been flirting with her before, so why the sudden asshole attitude? And what was possibly even worse than Ginny being an ass was that Luna had given that ass two of her plants! They would probably be dead within weeks.

Luna reached the canopy of trees leading into the woods. Bee sat down and looked up at her eagerly, her tail wagging in circles as she bent to undo her lead. The second it was off, she sprinted away in a blur of golden fur into the grassy forest. Flowers were blooming all around, dappling rich colours in with the grass and trees.

Luna's feet crunched on the gravel path as she followed slowly after Bee (who, every so often, would come running back to check that she was keeping up). The crisp air helped her to relax, letting her unwind after a long day of work finished off by the disappointing interaction she had with Ginny.

After a while, she found herself by a little stream deep in the woods. The sound of the water rippling over pebbles was a reminder of all the time she had spent here with her grandmother. Just the week before she had passed away, they'd sat on a checkered picnic blanket on the riverbank munching on jam sandwiches together. Her head began to ache as tears built up in her eyes. She sat on the grass.

It was difficult for her when her grandmother passed away. She had been Luna's strongest influence in her life, one of the few people she felt she could confide in, and losing her felt like losing a part of herself. They'd been so close. Luna had tried her best to move on after her death as she knew that was what she would have wanted but... it meant she never really let herself grieve. She felt it all welling up inside her now, threatening to spill over and, as if on cue, raindrops started to fall from the clouds above her. Nature was grieving with her.

In almost an instant, Luna had hot, salty tears coating her cheeks as the rain soaked her hair and clothes. Bee had come to lay down next to her, leaning her head over and resting it on Luna's lap with a quiet huff. Luna bent over and clung onto her tightly, sobbing into her wet fur as the rain got heavier and heavier. The sun was still shining through the grey clouds in spots for a moment but was eventually blocked out. She listened to the raindrops splashing into the stream, heaving in and out as tears kept streaming from her eyes.

Suddenly, Luna felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She jumped, standing up in shock and wiping her face quickly. As she wiped rain and tears from her eyes and pushed her dripping hair out of her face, she saw a tall-ish figure with sopping wet ginger hair standing in front of her. It was Ginny.

"W-what do you want?" Luna breathed out heavily, her voice wavering a little. Ginny looked at her sympathetically and tucked her hair behind her ear. As she shuffled her feet, they squelched in her shoes and she cringed.

"I was just going on a walk. I saw you and... thought I should come and apologise. Are you okay?"

Luna shot a glare in her direction as she picked up Bee's lead from where it had fallen on the ground. The river was flowing faster now. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Does it really matter to you?" She turned and started to walk back towards the path, her throat sore and her eyes puffy. Bee glanced at the stranger next to her for a moment before trotting along behind Luna. Ginny jogged to catch up with her before matching her pace.

"Of course it does! I'm really sorry for being so rude earlier. I just panicked and... I didn't want people at work to be asking questions about you. I know that isn't a good enough excuse," She explained, attempting to run a hand through her hair and sighing. "But it's the truth, and I'm really sorry."

Luna ignored her, but her shoulders loosened slightly and she let herself sneak a side-glance at Ginny. She groaned to herself quietly before stopping and turning to face her.

"Fine, you're forgiven, whatever." She wiped her face again as Ginny let a grin spread across her face, before quickly adding. "But I wasn't crying over you, by the way."

Ginny nodded. "What were you crying about, if you don't mind me-"

"No, I don't want to talk about it." Luna cut her off quickly, shaking her head and starting to walk again. The rain picked up again, a low rumble of thunder sounding in the distance.

"We'd better get back home."

The two girls tried to find their way through the labyrinth of a forest. Despite how many times Luna had been there, the pathways seemed to be always changing and she could never find her way out - she always stumbled upon the entrance by accident after searching for forever to try and find it. As the rain pattered on the leaves above them, they walked further and further into the woods.

Ginny was the first to talk. "So... tell me about yourself."

Bee sniffed chased after a tiny mouse as it ran across the pathway and Luna shoved her hands in the pockets of her muddy jeans. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything!"

Luna laughed a little and shook her head. "That's great but, unfortunately, I want to get out of this place at some point so I don't think we'll have time to go through every little detail about me."

Ginny grinned. "I know," She thought for a moment, kicking up some gravel from the ground. "What's your full name?"

"Luna Elizabeth Lovegood." Luna looked up at her. "What's yours?"

"Ginevra Molly Weasley." She groaned, pulling her hair back with one hand and then letting her arm fall back down again. "Tragic, right? It's gotta be one of the top ten worst names _ever_." Ginny joked. She'd always hated the name and was going to change it when she was old enough to do it herself, but she felt too guilty about it and changed it back again.

Luna shook her head. "I like it!"

Ginny chuckled in disbelief. "Sure you do."

"I do!" Luna protested, smiling. "What else do you want to know, then?"

Ginny was silent for a moment, looking around - they seemed to be walking in circles at this point. She mumbled something about already going this way and took the next left turn, Luna tilting her head in confusion before following after her. "What's your favourite movie?"

"Wall-e!" She exclaimed, without a moment's hesitation. It had been her favourite film ever since it was first released.

"I don't think I've ever seen it." Ginny confessed.

Luna spun round to look at her. "What?! How can you not have seen Wall-e?!" She threw her hands up in the air, before grabbing Ginny's and starting to run through the rain. "We have to get back home so I can show it to you!"

Ginny laughed and ran behind her, the wind sending shivers down her spine as it hit her freezing cold body. It was obvious she had no choice in the matter so she went along with it. After all, she did kind of owe it to her.


	3. Movie

The two girls had reached Luna's flat, finally, and Ginny stood shivering under the plastic roof jutting out from Luna's shopfront as Luna struggled to get her key into the door's lock. As the door finally swung open, they both rushed inside and Ginny began to wring out her hair onto the mat.

"Do you want a quick shower? I can get you some dry clothes." Luna offered with a smile. Suddenly, Bee shook herself off and covered the girls in muddy water. "Agh, Bee-!"

Ginny laughed and nodded. "I would love that, thank you so much."

Luna guided her through her apartment, opening a door to reveal a small rainforest shower. The bathroom was small, but in a cosy way, and just like the rest of the house there were plants dotted all over the place. A thin window covered the top part of the wall, with a little shelf tucked into the wall below it cluttered with crystals, plants and various bottles of soap and shampoo. It all looked homemade, and an earthy, fresh smell seemed to linger in the air.

Picking a towel out of a cupboard in the hallway, Luna glanced back at Ginny. "What size clothes do you wear?"

Ginny turned back to face her as she walked into the room and handed her a towel with a smile. It felt soft and fluffy, like a warm cloud. "Size 12 trousers and just any baggy shirt will be fine. Thank you so much, again!"

Luna nodded and stepped out of the room, starting to close the door but peeking round again at the last minute. "I'll cook some macaroni cheese too for when you're ready." She dipped out of the room again, the door clicking shut behind her.

Locking the door, Ginny checked the handle to make sure it wouldn't open and then stripped down. It took a moment to figure out how to turn the shower on but, once she did, it was heavenly. It was like a like raincloud over your head gently showering you with warm water. She ran her hands through her hair, relaxing into the warmth and steam with a sigh.

In her bedroom, Luna rummaged through her drawers to find something for Ginny to wear. She found some elasticated plaid pyjama trousers and one of her exes' old faded band tees. She picked out a cosy pair of fluffy socks as a little bonus, moving to place them outside the bathroom door in a neat little pile before knocking on the door quietly. "Your clothes are outside."

She heard a muffled response from inside the bathroom and nodded to herself, making her way back to her room to get changed too. Luna's hair was still soaking wet so she picked up an old towel from the corner of her room and ruffled over her hair with it roughly. She peeled her sopping wet clothes off of herself, shivering as the air hit her bare body before slipping into some fresh underwear and pulling an old shirt of her dad's over her head. She stepped into a pair of fluffy pyjama bottoms and her bunny slippers and then made her way to the kitchen.

Walking past the bathroom, she could hear that the shower was still on so she knew she had some more time to cook. Luna pulled a dish and a saucepan out of her cupboards, as well as milk, flour, cheese and pasta. She mixed a bunch of ingredients together for the sauce while the pasta baked.

Ginny hesitantly turned the shower off, longing to stay in it but knowing she needed to get out to join Luna in watching Wall-e. She wrapped the towel around herself and hastily unlocked the door, grabbing the pile of clothes before locking it again.

She towel-dried her hair for a bit, then started to get dressed. The band tee didn't seem like something Luna would wear based on the rest of her fashion-choices that Ginny had seen so she assumed it wasn't hers, but it was certainly comfortable. The socks helped to keep her feet nice and toasty once she'd pulled them on (although they were a bit slippy on the hardwood floor).

Ginny opened the door again, steam drifting out from the bathroom as she walked down the hall and into the kitchen where Luna was just serving up some incredible-looking mac'n'cheese. Her stomach grumbled impatiently and she suddenly realised how hungry she was - it had been a busy day at work so she hadn't had a chance to eat since before work that morning. "Wow, it smells amazing in here."

Luna jumped a little and looked up, holding her chest and breathing out. "You scared me!" She laughed a little, handing Ginny a bowl of food. "Thanks. It's a family recipe."

Ginny had to stop herself diving face-first into the bowl of golden deliciousness in her hands. Luna stepped past her into the living room, putting her bowl down for a moment to find the DVD and put it in the player. The TV turned itself on with the DVD player and Luna grinned to herself excitedly. "I can't wait to see your reaction - I can't believe you've never seen it!"

She picked up her bowl again and sat in one corner of the worn-down, tiny sofa, patting the space in the other corner (which happened to be almost right next to her) for Ginny to sit down. Ginny smiled and sat down, curling her legs up on the sofa underneath her and starting to dig into her macaroni. "I'm sure I've seen parts of it,  just never all in one go."

The film started. It wasn't long before the girls' bowls were empty and Ginny was staring at the screen, her eyes watering as Wall-e and Eve dance together in the sky. "How can two cartoon robots make me feel so much?" She whined quietly, wiping her eyes and chuckling to herself.

Luna peeked up at the clock; it was starting to get late. She still hadn't changed her clock in the living room over to the right time for summer, so although it only read as 11:30, it was actually past midnight. She yawned, her eyes blinking slowly as she flicked her eyes back to the TV again. The film was almost over now, but she didn't get to see Ginny's reaction to the ending before drifting into sleep, her head flopping gently against Ginny's shoulder.

Ginny flushed, glancing down at her. She had to admit, Luna looked really cute when she was asleep. She could definitely stay the night - she wouldn't have to journey far in the morning to get ready for work - but now she was frozen in her seat in fear of waking Luna. She was entranced by the peaceful smile that rested on her lips and found herself simply watching her, their breathing syncing up as she softly stroked her now dry hair. She noticed it was naturally quite curly, forming loose ringlets that framed her pale, freckled face. She was beautiful.

She decided to try and carry Luna to her bed. She could sleep on the sofa then, and Luna would never have to know about the little moment Ginny just had. Ginny managed to wriggle her way out from underneath Luna, resting her head on the arm of the chair momentarily before picking her up bridal style. Her cheeks tinted themselves pink as Luna snuggled into her chest, resting her hands against her.

Ginny walked her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed and tucking her duvet around her with a content smile. A radio was playing lightly next to her bed, fizzy French singing trickling out of the speaker. After a moment's pause, Ginny leant down and kissed her on the forehead. She just caught Luna's lips twisting into a faint smile before leaving the room, closing the door behind her and heading back to the living room to lay on the sofa.

It didn't take her long to fall asleep, her mind filled with fuzzy, black and white movie-style pictures of two adorable little robots dancing together among the stars.


	4. Ignorance

Ginny woke up the next morning as the sun streamed in through the window and hit her eyes. She propped herself up on her elbow, rubbing her eyes and looking around her. It took her a moment to remember where she was.

The plants should have been an instant give-away, but what really jogged her tired memory was the golden retriever curled up on top of her feet. She bent over and ruffled the fur on the scruffy dog's head, smiling to herself before standing up and stretching her arms out. She picked her phone up from where she left it on the coffee table, checking the time as Bee plodded over to her water bowl and lapped at the water left in there. It was 7:30 - Ginny would have to get to work soon.

She looked around, spotting a notepad and pen on a shelf by the TV. Picking it up, she began writing a note as she walked towards Luna's room.

"Luna,

Sorry that I had to leave, I need to open up the shop this morning.

Text me"

Ginny scribbled her number underneath with a little heart next to it and signed her name, then stepped into Luna's bedroom. It looked different with the sun shining lightly through the curtains, but Luna looked no less angelic. Her curly hair was sprawled out across her pillow, one hand tucked under her face as she snored softly - Ginny had to stop herself staring to put the notepad and pen down on Luna's bedside table, giving her one last look before hesitantly leaving the flat.

She sighed as she closed the door behind her, glancing around her to make sure no one was around to see her leaving the flat in case they got the wrong idea. Ginny sped over to her door, unlocking it and then stepping inside. It closed behind her as she sprinted up the stairs; she didn't have time to stop and relax. She had to get ready.

Ginny caught her own eyes in the mirror in her hall as she walked past it, pausing for a moment to try and recognise herself. She looked so at peace, her hair naturally wavy and her skin clear of foundation. Freckles were spread across her cheeks and her eyes seemed to be almost glowing. She shook her head and headed to her room.

As she got dressed in plain black clothes, she realised she still had Luna's clothes. She would have to take them back to her place later. Ginny checked the time again - 8:00 - before rushing back out the door. It was opening time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes, being a tattoo artist was really really boring. A buff, tattoo-covered dude had walked in about an hour ago and had insisted on getting the most basic tattoo she'd seen in months. His arms were covered in sleeves already, but it was all stuff that she'd done on other people before, so Ginny figured that was just his vibe. She sat him in the corner and had prepped his back for the tattoo already when she overheard her coworkers talking.

As she started the process of inking the outlines of the tattoo, she listened in discreetly.

"My mum wants me to go to my brother's wedding next weekend. I told her I couldn't get the time off, though, cause I don't wanna see two homos sexing it up in public."

He fake-gagged and the other laughed. "Gross! You're related to a gay?"

The other groaned. "I know, right? It's disgusting. I can't believe my mum didn't kick him out - God knows I would have!"

The two laughed together before the other piped up again. "The only reason I wouldn't beat my child for being gay is if they were a lesbian, and they'd let me watch! That'd be fucking hot, man."

She heard what sounded like them high-fiving and cringed to herself as she wiped some ink off of the man's back. "God, I jerk it to lesbians all the time. I wish I knew some so I could have a threesome."

Ginny tuned out - she was losing too many brain cells just listening to them and was getting sick of hearing their ignorant comments. She paused tattooing the man for a moment to plug in some headphones and turn her music up as loud as she could to drown out her coworkers, then resumed her work again. This is why she didn't want people to know she was talking to Luna.

She'd received her fair share of homophobic comments and threesome-requests in her hometown, hence why she moved as far as she could from there. Being kicked out by her own mother for being a "filthy gay" at the age of 15 didn't exactly help Ginny come to terms with her sexuality, but it certainly affected how she grew up and what she feared in her adult life. She couldn't open up to anyone without cutting them out of her life out of fear the next day, making up some bullshit excuse about them needing space or something of the sort to protect her reputation amongst the rest of her "friends".

It was difficult. She wanted so desperately to settle down with someone, to be in a happy relationship, but it was something she'd avoided for so long out of fear of what everyone would say. Ginny focused her energy into the boring tattoo she was inking, trying to forget about the ignorance she'd overheard by working to get it perfect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and, when the clock finally chimed 8'o'clock, Ginny was hasty to rush her coworkers out of the shop. She locked up as quickly as possible, watching as people pulled out of the driveway and their taillights drifted down the road, then made her way up to her apartment.

When she reached her room, she grabbed the clothes Luna had leant her and, after a moment's contemplation, applied some red-tinted lipgloss before heading back outside.

She knocked on Luna's door, breathing out heavily. A light clicked on inside, illuminating her face as she waited. The door opened slowly.

Luna was wearing a floaty, white dress with her hair loosely pinned back and greeted Ginny with a wide smile. "Ginny, hi!"

"Hey." Ginny smiled back and, before she knew it, was pulled into a firm hug. She let herself relax into Luna's arms for a moment before she stepped back to let her inside.

"Come in!"

The girls climbed the stairs together once Luna had shut the door. Ginny found herself standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room she'd fallen asleep in the night before as Luna called to her from the kitchen. "D'you drink tea?"

"Uh... Yeah." Ginny called back, placing the pile of clothes she'd brought with her on the coffee table and perching herself on the edge of the sofa. Bee suddenly appeared next to her, her tail wagging as she petted her on the head gently.

Luna swept into the room holding two steaming cups of what Ginny presumed was tea. She placed them on two cork coasters as she sat down next to Ginny, then turned to face her happily. "What brings you over?" Her skin looked like delicate porcelain under the soft light from the lamp in the corner, and... Were her eyes always that bright?

Ginny bit her lip and gestured towards the clothes on the table. "I... wanted to bring those back." She paused for a moment nervously, then turned to face Luna again. "And I was wondering if, m-maybe, you would want to come over to mine for dinner tomorrow?"

Her face flushed red as Luna nodded. "Sure! What time?"

Ginny shrugged. "Any time after 8 is fine. I'll leave work early to get ready."

"How's 9?"

"Sounds good." Ginny smiled and looked at her hands as she folded them in her lap, then reached for her tea to take a sip.

They sat in silence for a moment (except for Bee's whining due to the lack of attention she was getting), before Luna spoke.

"Did you sleep okay? Sorry for falling asleep without giving you any blankets or anything." She apologized, resting a hand on Ginny's leg. She blushed and stammered for a moment before responding.

"Y-yeah, I slept okay. And it's alright - I'm sure you were really tired." Luna nodded, laughing a little.

"I guess so, huh? What did you think of the film, by the way?"

"It was great! I still can't believe I'd never seen it." She sighed, sipping her tea again. Bee placed her head in her lap, catching Luna's attention as she moved her hand from Ginny's leg to stroke her head. Ginny couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"We'll have to do it again sometime. Maybe you could show me your favourite film?" As she nodded, Ginny, finished the rest of her tea and put the empty cup on the coaster.

"Sure!"

Luna stood up, picking the clothes up off of the table and starting to walk out of the room. She paused in the doorway and turned back. "I'm just going to put these away." She explained, before disappearing from the room again.

Ginny stood up, looking around curiously. There were numerous books stacked high on shelves around the room, all looking old and well-worn, along with an impossible amount of jars - both empty and filled with a bunch of different herbs and liquids - dotted here and there. Luna's home just seemed to radiate the energy of Mother Earth herself.

The whole place was so different from Ginny's; light instead of dark, green plants instead of crumbling, dead flowers in vases, so ridiculously tidy instead of almost unlivable. Ginny would have to spend all night tidying before Luna could come over the next day. Maybe she would take the day off.

Luna came back into the room right as Bee knocked a jar off of a low shelf, sending glass and mysterious, pink liquid everywhere. She gasped and rushed towards Bee, pulling her away before lifting her paws to check them for any glass. Once she knew she was okay, she scolded her lightly. "Bad girl! You know you need to be careful with that big nose of yours!"

Ginny found herself smiling as she watched the interaction, tilting her head a little as she put her hands in her pockets. "Do you want any help clearing up?"

Luna shook her head. "No, thank you... I need to mop the floor anyway. I'll see you tomorrow, though?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow. Good luck with Bee!" She joked, stepping over the puddle on the floor and making her way out of Luna's flat. She felt butterflies in her stomach threatening to escape as she pictured Marie in her head, entering her own flat and sighing as she thought about how much she had to do the next day.


End file.
